Not until Coyotes winger Anthony Duclair batted at the puck a fourth time did it trickle over the goal line to send the second-year player into celebration mode, rewarding his stick blade with a kiss.

“It’s just been so long,” he said. “I was using a new stick, so I had to give some love, I guess.”

The effort it took to score that goal Tuesday in a 3-2 loss to the Stars highlighted the sophomore slump Duclair’s been trapped in this season, as it was only his second tally and first in 22 games.

But he hasn’t been the only one struggling to produce with the Coyotes’ goals-per-game clip dipping to 2.11, the second-lowest in the NHL.

That stat is even worse – 1.73 – in their past 15 games, and even less (1.6) amid their five-game losing streak. They’ve yet to win during their current five-game homestand that concludes Thursday against the Rangers – who have scored almost 50 more goals than the Coyotes.

“It’s not going in right now, but we have to stay positive and continue to work,” winger Jamie McGinn said. “You stop working, you’re going to have no chance. You just gotta bear down and keep going.”

What should encourage the Coyotes amid this slide is they’ve had the puck, eclipsing 30 shots in each of their past three games. The team’s 37 against the Stars is the second-highest output of the season.

But another sizable number of pucks aren’t reaching the net, getting blocked by the opposition or missing the target entirely. Arizona had 29 shots blocked or miss the net Tuesday; that total was even higher last Friday against Toronto when 52 attempts fizzled.

Perhaps the Coyotes can't be choosy with their shots when they’re trying to snap out of a funk, but they do lose out on second-chances off rebounds when they fail to get these pucks through to the net.

“The ones that bother me are they’re uncontested shots that are right there, and we’re trying to be too fine,” coach Dave Tippett said. “You gotta give yourself a chance to score.”

Simplifying their approach seems to be a strategy the Coyotes are trying to embrace. They did do a better job of crowding the crease with pucks and bodies against the Stars – not only on Duclair’s goal but on a few other solid opportunities.

“You watch the highlights every night it seems to be there’s one bad goal or shaky goal going in per night in a game,” McGinn said. “So they’re not always the tic-tac-toe play. It’s getting pucks and getting rebounds. Not a lot of goals are end-to-end or those fancy plays. It does happen, but I think when you’re struggling, you have to get back to the basics, meat-and-potatoes kind of thing, and put pucks to the net and jam away.”

Duclair’s line with center Martin Hanzal and winger Tobias Rieder had a couple of sequences like that against the Stars, hemming Dallas in its own end with pace and pressure. This trio didn’t pan out earlier this season when Tippett united it, but it is a combination that does have a history of playing well. The unit amassed an eye-popping 15 points in the first three games of the 2015-16 season.

“We did have awesome chemistry last year,” Duclair said. “Didn’t work early on this season, but I think we’re all pretty motivated to do well. We’re communicating way more than we were before. Tobi’s a fast player; you can give him the puck on the rush. And Marty, he just plays a big, physical game. Makes some space out there for us. It’s definitely nice to have a centerman like that to play with. Just makes it easier on me and Tobi.”

With the Coyotes getting chances, their drop-off suggests a lack of finish – which is an issue – but more can be done before it’s time to shoot. Creating space by beating a defender one-on-one, eluding a check or executing a play to get out of the corner to drive to the net are all areas that can improve, according to Tippett.

“Things like that are a combination of skill,” he said, “but also determination to do it and get it done right.”

Frustration can no doubt set in when the results fail to show up, but the Coyotes are counting on contributions from their entire lineup – not just one or two players.

And that by-committee attitude seems particularly helpful during droughts such as this.

“It’s what you have your teammates for,” McGinn said. “You can talk it out, lift each other up. When you’re down, you gotta stick with it. That’s the good thing about being in a team sport is you have each other. When it’s individual, it can be tough mentally but we help each other out here and stay positive.”

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.

Thursday's game

Rangers at Coyotes

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Gila River Arena.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Arizona-Plus/KTAR-AM (620).

Coyotes update: Goalie Mike Smith rested Wednesday and did not practice but is scheduled to start against the Rangers. Winger Ryan White also stayed off the ice. He's day-to-day with a nagging lower-body injury and is doubtful to play Thursday, Tippett said. "It's improving but just not there yet," Tippett said.

Rangers update: This is the start of a two-game road trip for the Rangers, who edged the Senators 4-3 at home Tuesday. Before then, New York had won three of its previous five. With 49 points, the Rangers sit third in the Metropolitan Division. They’re 11-6 on the road and 6-1 against Pacific Division teams. The Rangers have also won their past six games against the Coyotes, the longest streak against Arizona in New York history. Center Derek Stepan has a team-best 28 points, while winger Michael Grabner leads the group with 14 goals. New York ranks second in the NHL in goals scored (121) and third in goals-per-game (3.27). On the flip side, the Rangers have allowed two regulation goals or less in 24 of their 37 games. They’re 20-3-1 in those games. Goaltenders Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Raanta have split the netminding duties lately with the backup Raanta starting six of the past 10 games.